Constant-level oil-tank



0. KRAUS.

CONSTANT LEVEL OIL TANK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1919.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

INVENTOR (9m W nnr "nun or'ro KRAUS, or nEw YonK, N. essrenon re KnAUs nNeINncoMrANY; or

YORK, 1v. A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

NEW

CONSTANT-LEVEL OIL-TANK.

Original application filed March 19, 1918, Serial No. 223,264. Divided and 1919. Serial To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, O'r'ro :KRAUS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Constant-Level Oil-Tanks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in liquid-fuel tanks and particularly to improvemcnts in tanks in which the liquid fuel is maintained at a constant level and which are used in connection with furnaces wherein hydrocarbon oil is burned and the products of combustion are mingled with water vapor or steam to form a working fluid for motors. An object of this invention is to provide a liquictfuel tank of the constant-level type which willbe simple in construction and comparatively cheap in manufacture, and which will prove efficient and durable in operation and use, and low in cost of first installation and of repairs.

In the drawings illustrating the principle of this invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Figure 1 is a central, longitudinalsection of a furnace equipped with the constant-level liquid-fuel tank; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysection on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and illustrates one form of valve mechanism for controlling the overflow' of oil from the -fuel-tank; Fig. 4 is a frag mentary sectional view of a modified form of valve mechanism for controlling the overflow of the liquid fuel; and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Compressed air flows through the conduit or, past the spring-controlled. valve 7), and into the combustion-chamber 0 (Figs. 1 and 2). Some of the compressed air flows from the conduit a through the air-passage (Z into the annular chamber 6 that surrounds the casing f of the needle-valve g. Theannular chamber 6 communicates through the airpassage 72 with the airspace it above the level of the liquid hydro-carbon iin the fuel-tank 7', whereby the oil 77 is subjected to the pressure of the compressed air and is thereby forced upwardly through the pipe k and past the needle-valve g. a To maintain constant-the level of the Specification of Letters Patent.

this application filed March 31,

liquid fuel 2' in its tank j, the following arrangement of parts is provided: Oil flows into the tank '7' through the oil-pipe mthat leads from a force-pump (not shown). The oil 1' supports by its buoyant effort, a float n, from which extends a pair of arms 0 that are connected, by a pivot-pin p to the lateral wall j of the tank 7' and are, therefore, free to swing thereon (Figs. 1 and Through the bottom of the tank j, there passes an overflow-pipe g, the inner or upper end of which is closed, except for the perforations 7", hereinafter referred to, and is formed with a laterally-extending, annular flange 8. Below the latter, there is formed, on the pipe 9, a collar 16, between which and the flange s the pipe g is formed with a circular series of perforations'r. Over this part of the pipe 9, there is slipped a slidably-mounted sleevevalve a that is formed with a pair of laterally-projecting ears o, against which press upwardly the arms 0 extending from the float The sleeve-valve u is further formed with a series of oil-ports u which, when the valve is raised to the upper limit of its travel (determined by the annular flange 8) through the medium of the float actuated arms 0 pressing against the cars '11 on the valve u, come into register with'the' holes r (Figs. 1 and 3'), whereupon oil is free to flow from the tank .7 through the 'oil.- ports a and the holes 1", into the overflowpipe 9 and therethrough back to the source of the oil-supplyfi By this arrangement of parts,the liquid fuel i is maintained at a constant level in its reservoir 1'; It is to be noted that the oil-ports u do not register with the perforationsr, until the level of the oil i in its reservoir lies at a substan tial distance above the closed inner end of the overflow-pipe g, whereby any escape therethrough of the compressed air from the air-space h is avoided.

A modified form of the overflow arrangement just described is illustrated in Figs. 4' and 5, wherein there is shown a sleeve-valve a that is rotatably mounted onthe inner end of the horizontally-disposed part 10'; of theoverfiow-pipe w and connected, to'the float n, by means of the arm 0, and held in place, on the pipe w, by the screw 0". The part to of the overflow-pipe 'w is formed with a series of perforations w", with which are arranged. to registenthe.oil-ports a of the sleeve-valve u, when the float n has reached the permissibly highest point of its travel, whereupon the surplus oil is permitted to flow away through the overflow pipe w.

As has been hereinbefore described, the pressure of the compressed air in the airspace it above the surface of the oil z in the oil-reservoir j, forces the oil therefrom upwardly through the oil-pipe 7c and past the needle-valve g; and this stream of oil is struck by a stream of compressed air flowing from the annular chamber 6 through the inclined. air-passage (2, whereby the oil is atomized and issues from the orifice m of the atomizer w in a fine spray, as is indicated in Fig. 1. Around this orifice m, there is fitted the smaller end of a trumpet-shaped mouthpiece 1 between the edge of the larger or discharge end of which and the inner wall of the combustion-chamber 0 there exists an interval y, through which escapes the compressed air that flows past the spring-controlled valve ?2. Thus there is formed a combustible mixture of oil and air in the combustion-chamber 0, which mixture is ignited by the hot filament of an electric igniter z. The burning oil passes through the reignition grating 2 and flows downwardly through the upright flue 3 the lower end of which projects into the drum or box 4 through an opening 4 in the top thereof. The flue 3 and drum 4 are inclosed in the lower part of the steam-generator 5, wherein there are hung chains 6 the links of which present an extensive surface. The sidewall of the box 4 is formed with outlets 4 through which escape the products of combustion coming from the flue 3.

In the front wall A of the furnace A, there are formed water-chambers 7 the water in which absorbs the heat from, and thereby keeps cool, the walls bathed by it. To these water-chambers 7, water that has, in any suitable'way (e. g., by being exposed to hot exhaust-gases from an engine), been preheated but is yet comparatively cool, is led through the water pipe 7' and water-passage 7 From these water-chambers 7, the water flows tothe water-jacket space 0' between the walls of the combustion-chamber c of the a furnace A. In the rear wall A of the latter,

there is formed an L-shaped water-passage 8 the front end of which communicates with the water-jacket space 0 and the other end of which communicates with the upper end of a water-pipe 9 that is mounted in the flue 3, which'is vertically disposed and into and through which pass the products of combustion, as has hereinbefore been described. From the bottom of the drum 4, there projects a nipple or boss 10 formed with an inlet I water-passage 10 and with lateral discharge passages 10". Into the inlet end of the pas- Sage 10', there fits the lower end ofthe wateripe 9. In the lower edge of the drum or box 4, there are formed cuts 4 to permit the upward flow of the water that issues from the outlet passages 10."

hen the products of combustion rush from the drum 4 through the outlets 4 therein, some of the water in the lower part of the steam-generator chamber 5 is taken up and carried along with the products of combustion. In flowing upwardly to the outlet opening 5' of the chamber 5, the stream of hot gases with its entrained moisture, contacts with the extensive surface of the links 6 and there results an interchange of heat between the hot gases and their entrained moisture, whereby the moisture becomes converted into steam.

The lower end of the steam-generator chamber 5 is formed with a boss 5" through which extends a passage 5 that lies, practically speaking, in prolongation of the waterpassage 10' and is closed at its discharge end by means of a drain-cock 11. To the boss 5", there is fastened a starting-cup 12, which is filled at starting, with alcohol or like combustible, the burning of which produces heat suflicient to generate steam from the water in the bottom of the chamber 5.

The maintenance of a constant level of oil in the fuel-tank j tends to maintain the pressure of the air and the rate of feed of the oil constant and to enhance the evenness and smoothness of working of the entire furnace system and the production of working fluid thereby.

This application is filed as a divisional application under my pending application, Serial No. 223264, filed March 19, 1918.

I claim:

1. An oil-burning furnace including a combustion chamber; a fuel-reservoir; means for supplying air under pressure to the oil in the fuel-reservoir; a valve-controlled conduit which leads oil from the fuel-reservoir to the combustion-chamber; an overflow-pipe which extends into the oil-reservoir and the inlet-end of which is formed with perforations; a valve which is slidably fitted on the inlet-end of the overflow pipe and is formed with oil-ports that are arranged to register with the perforations in the overflow-pipe when the oil-ports and perforations are sealed by the oil in the fuel-reservoir against the escape of the air under pressure therein; and a float that controls the valve. 7

2. An oil-burning furnace including a combustion chamber; a fuel reservoir; means for supplying air under pressure to the oil in the fuel-reservoir; a valve-controlled conduit which leads oil from the fuel-reservoir to the combustion-chamber; an overflow-pipe which extends into the oil-reservoir and the inlet-end of which is formed with perforations; a valve which is slidably fitted on the inlet-end of the overflow-pipe and is formed With oil-ports that are ar- Signed in the presence of the two under- 10 ranged to register With the perforations in signed witnesses at the borough ofManhatthe over-flow-pipe when'the oil-ports and tan, in the city, county and State of New perforations are sealed by the oil in the fuel- York, this 28th day of March, A. D. 1919. reservoir against the escape of the air under pressure therein; means carried by the inlet- OTTO KRAUS. end of the overflow-pipe for limiting the Witnesses: travel of the valve thereon; and a float that G. H. LIPPINGOTT,

controls the valve. S. MENDELsoHN, 

